Recent technical challenges facing the asphalt industry have created opportunities for the introduction of agriculture-based products for the overall performance enhancement of asphalt.
The predominant use of asphalt is in road pavement, which is generally made up of 95% aggregate and 5% asphalt binder. Asphalt binder is typically made up of >95% bitumen and <5% additives that enhance performance. Crude asphalt (bitumen) is primarily derived from the bottoms of petroleum refining, which is approximately 3% of the barrel of crude oil, depending on the grade of the crude oil. However, petroleum companies are improving refining efficiency to meet increasing demands for transportation fuels, which negatively impacts the quality and quantity of bitumen available for asphalt production. With cold temperatures, asphalt becomes brittle, resulting in cracking and water penetration, leading to freeze-thaw damage. With high temperatures, asphalt becomes softer, resulting in rutting with heavy traffic. In short, higher refining efficiency is leading to asphalt which is significantly more brittle. Accordingly, asphalt modifiers are being incorporated into asphalt to modify its performance properties in variable weather conditions.